PANEL REPORT ON MICROMECHANICS AND PHYSICS OF FRACTURE.

In this report a summary is given of the discussions and recommendations of a panel convened under the auspices of the Council of Materials Sciences for the Division of Materials Sciences, U. S. Department of Energy, to review the present status and future trends of basic research on the fracture of crystalline materials with an emphasis on metallic materials. The attention was focused on the microscopic processes controlling the fracture behavior of materials. The more traditional fracture mechanics problems dealing with macroscopic aspects of fracture were not considered by the panel. However, attempts were made to assess the impact of understanding of the micromechanisms of fracture on the predictions of materials reliability.